Krishnapuram is a village in

Alappuzha district Alappuzha district (), is one of the 14 Districts of Kerala, districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It was formed as Alleppey district on 17 August 1957, the name of the district being changed to ''Alapp ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

Demographics

India

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, Krishnapuram had a population of 25927 with 12305 males and 13622 females.

Krishnapuram Palace

The

Krishnapuram Palace The Krishnapuram Palace is a palace and museum located in Kayamkulam near Alappuzha in Alappuzha district, Kerala in southwestern India. It was built in the 18th century by Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1729–1758 CE), the Travancore ki ...

is a tourist attraction, just 400 m from NH-47 located between Kayamkulam town and Oachira. The palace is maintained by the Archaeological Department and contains exhibits that belonged to the Palace and its former occupant, the Travancore Maharaja Marthanda Varma. It is also famous for a large pond within the palace. It is said that an underground escape route runs from the bottom of the pond as a possible escape route from enemies. The Gajendra Moksham, mural painting in the palace is the largest in Kerala. The two-edged Kayamkulam Vaal (sword) is also on display here. The palace also houses, in its courtyard, one of the four statues of Buddha in Alappuzha District. Manivelikadavu 9.5 km from Kayamkulam Pipe Junction is also close by.Department of Archeology Website
Krishnapuram Palace is one of the finest and rarest examples of a typical Keralite style of architecture - complete with gabled roofs, narrow corridors and dormer windows. Residence of the rulers of Kayamkulam kingdom (Oodanadu Raja Vamsham), the age of the palace is unknown. Renovated some time in the 18th century, the palace is today a protected monument under the Archaeology department. Recently it has again been renovated according to the scientific techniques prescribed for the protection of heritage buildings. Today the palace is an archaeological museum, and the most fascinating exhibit here is the 49 sq.m Gajendra Moksham, the largest single band of mural painting so far discovered in Kerala. Gajendra Moksham means the salvation (Moksha) of the elephant king (Gajendra). The theme of the mural is mythological and depicts an elephant saluting Lord Vishnu in devotion while the other gods, goddesses and saints look on. It is said that Lord Vishnu was the family deity of the Kayamkulam rajas. This mural was placed at the pond-side entrance to the palace to enable the rajas to worship the deity after their ablutions. The famous Kayamkulam Val (sword) is also on display here. Both its edges are sharpened so it is more dangerous than other martial weapons and requires handling by skilled warriors. It is believed that it was used by the Kayamkulam raja and was a favourite of his. Other attractions here include the beautifully landscaped garden in the palace compound where you have a variety of flora typical of Kerala, and a newly erected Buddha

mandapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...

m, where a recently recovered statue of the Buddha is housed. Other collections at the museum include rare antique bronze sculptures and paintings. Krishnapuram Palace - Getting there: Krishnapuram Palace - Nearest railway station: Kayamkulam about 6 km; Nearest airports: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, about 103 km; Cochin International Airport, about 132 km.

Educational Institutions

* Junior Technical School(JTS) and Vocational Higher Secondary School(VHSC) * Bishop Moore Vidyapith Kayamkulam * Government Lower Primary(LP) School * ViswaBharathy Model High School

Religious Places

Temples

* Arthi Kavu Nagaraja-Shiva Temple * Krishnapuram Sree Krishna Swami Temple * Major Sree Krishna Temple * Kurakkav Devi Temple. It is famous for offering vettila (

betel leaf Betel (''Piper betle'') is a species of flowering plant in the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious vine, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plants are cultivated for their leav ...

) to

Devi ''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept ...

Lord Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as ''The Destroyer' ...

is worshiped in the form of Kiratha Moorthy. * Kunnayyathu Devi Temple. The temple is dedicated to Goddess

Bhadrakali Bhadrakali (IAST: Bhadrakālī; ) is an important goddess, mainly worshiped by Hindus, and is a form of Kali. She is considered to be the auspicious and fortunate form of Adi Shakti or Durga, the supreme mother who protects the good, known ...

, revered as the symbol of power and protection. Guruthi, which is performed for the betterment of the lives of the devotees and the removal of all evils, is the most noble offering here. * Kalathi Sree Bhadra Devi Temple * Vethalan Kavu Mahadeva Temple, Kappil East * Kuttiyil Sri Durga Devi Temple, Kappil East * Mannoor Madom Siva Temple, Opp. Oachira KSEB, Krishnapruam South, Krishnapuram P O * ThekkanKavu Sree vanadurga Devi Kshethram

Churches

* St. John's CSI Church * Bethel Faith ministries international church, Njakkanal

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20110713144209/http://www.keralafreelisting.com/info/krishnapuram-palace-alappuzha * http://www.alappuzhaonline.com/krishnapurampalace-kerala.htm {{Alappuzha district Villages in Alappuzha district